Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Zach Kaczor

Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Zach Kaczor, who is displayed on card number 99, from the Superstars of 2011 Collection. Zach is one of the youngest gamers to appear on a Video Game Trading Card. When the card was produced, Zach was 11 years old. He took over the world record on the arcade game Ice Cold Beer which was first achieved in 1984. His score was 350,000 which still holds today as the current world record on Twin Galaxies scoreboard. Zach also loves the current games of today like Call of Duty and other games for the XBOX. He holds the world record on Gunstringer for the XBOX 360. Zach is proud to be a part of the gaming community and hopes ones day to set more records and be a top gamer for his generation.

Are you still involved with gaming today, and what role do you play?

I used to be, I was one of the original Minecraft servers that existed right when the game was being released to the public. That ran up until about 2014-15 when I quit and had other people run it for me. I would like to believe I had an important role in the way servers were ran and continue to run. I often interacted with many other server owners of larger communities and would often find ways to manage and handle large amounts of people. It was a fun learning experience.

Did you ever think when you were younger you would be on a Video game Trading card?

I don’t have much recollection before achieving my World Record so I would say no! Nor did I think I would ever be in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Have you ever received any media coverage for your appearance on the Trading Card? If so, where?

What are your opinions about today’s generation of video games? How do you compare them to older, classic games?

I prefer the classic arcade games, mainly for the sense of how vintage they are and how much more involved and unique they are. Games today are often repeated versions of the same games. It’s interesting looking at all the different types and styles of older games. It seemed like companies tried more and would do unique things to try to attract people to their game. Which I often think video games companies today don’t try as hard to do.

Do you prefer PC or Console gaming and why?

Console — Even though I played Minecraft for many years, I find console to be much more easier as I use my computer for personal things such as school etc. and often find that it gets cluttered. That happens with everyone. It’s just natural.

What games today do you play and what are your favorite genres of games?

I don’t find myself playing too many games today. I was into Garry’s Mod, Minecraft, etc. those type of games but now I’m mainly focused on school and work. I’ve ventured into Photography etc.

Do you remember your first video game / arcade you played and what do you remember about it?

I’m not too sure the first arcade game I played. I do remember playing games on my Gameboy — such as Sonic. However, I do remember the first time I played Ice Cold Beer, which is the game I have a World Record on. It was during a vacation to Nevada, we were staying outside of the Las Vegas Strip and we often tend to explore when we’re vacationing. After a bit of exploration and research we found the Pinball Hall of Fame which was basically a huge place with a ton of pinball games and games of the same age. It was then, I found Ice Cold Beer! I remember putting a quarter into it and instantly falling in love with playing it. I kept wanting to play more and more, only at that time I was not good at all. I think we even came back the next day so I could play it again. When we came back from Las Vegas, we found that Richie Knucklez Arcade in Flemington, New Jersey had a Ice Cold Beer machine and this is where I became good at it and broke the previous World Record (unofficial at that time). That Christmas, my parents bought me the arcade game as a present and we still have it in our basement today.

If you could own one arcade game or pinball game, what would it be and why?

TRON or Track & Field, I find both the games to be very interesting and they seem like games I would want to try to get good at. They both look visually appealing and are unique in different ways.

Do you believe some Video Games are too violent and lead to violence in America today?

There are many issues that cause violence in America however I don’t believe that Video Games are a main cause for this. There’s so much hatred in the world and to pinpoint it on any single thing is a very closed mind-set. While I think games would be better without violence, it’s an issue that not I nor anyone by themselves can solve and has to be a movement within the country. The country also needs to take steps to taking better care of people who need the different types of care that many people often need and cannot receive. It’s a world-wide issue, definitely not caused by video games themselves.

Where do you see Video gaming in the next 20 years?

It’s going to take a major turn, I feel like it’s going to become a thing you physically feel. Although, we all like to imagine a much bigger and more advanced world in the future. I’m sure that technology will only go so far with the introduction of the Oculus Rift, etc. I hope it turns around and companies decide to make games like they used to (stand-up ones) but that won’t happen.

This is one of an ongoing series of articles based on the Walter Day Collection of e-sports/video gaming trading cards – check out more information at thewalterdaycollection.com.

Todd Friedman is heavily involved in the video game community. He is currently writing for Old School Gamer Magazine, Little Player Magazine, Retro Player Magazine, RetroGaming Times and The Walter Day Collection. He has Co-Promoted the Video Game Summit in Illinois for the past 10 Years. Todd is an avid video game collector with over 3500 console games and 35 systems, One of his main responsibilities is keeping the Walter Day Trading cards alive. Todd holds over 60 world records on the Nintendo Wii game DJ Hero. Todd was also a nominee for the International Video Game Hall of Fame, class of 2016 and 2017
Todd Friedman is heavily involved in the video game community. He is currently writing for Old School Gamer Magazine, Little Player Magazine, Retro Player Magazine, RetroGaming Times and The Walter Day Collection. He has Co-Promoted the Video Game Summit in Illinois for the past 10 Years. Todd is an avid video game collector with over 3500 console games and 35 systems, One of his main responsibilities is keeping the Walter Day Trading cards alive. Todd holds over 60 world records on the Nintendo Wii game DJ Hero. Todd was also a nominee for the International Video Game Hall of Fame, class of 2016 and 2017.